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As authorities in Mozambique continue to question the discovery of a mass grave by farmers near a national park, DW uncovered other bodies while following up on the story.

The story has been circulating in Mozambique for days now: In the central part of the southeast African nation, farmers said they had discovered a mass grave with 120 bodies. According to the Portuguese news agency LUSA, the decomposing bodies were found in Canda which lies north of the National Park near the town of Gorongosa. Some of them were almost nothing but bones.

Following the revelation, the Gorongosa district administrator immediately denied the existence of such a mass grave while the police announced an investigation.

Since 2013, the region has experienced frequent fighting between militia from the main opposition party RENAMO and government security forces. Whether the discovered bodies belong to either of the two sides remains unclear. The farmers could not recognize whether the bodies had gunshot wounds or if they wore uniforms. "Eyewitnesses speak of rags that could be seen from a distance. But that is not enough to identify the bodies," says DW correspondent Arcenio Sebastiao.

Victims of a rekindled civil war?

Over the weekend, Sebastiao said he, together with other reporters, had tried to get to the alleged mass grave but they were barred on the way by unknown armed men.

Farmers, however, showed him and his colleagues more corpses that were lying nearby. "There are 15 bodies lying there. The birds are already pecking at them," said one farmer who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. "At the junction of the national road which leads to Macossa we found three corpses, and as we climbed under the bridge we again saw about ten dead bodies in the creek," said another farmer who also chose not to reveal his identity.

The journalists saw the bodies, but could not determine whether they belong to one of the military groups that are fighting against each other in the area.

DW correspondent Arcenio Sebastiao said official RENAMO representatives in the region are hardly seen in public. "RENAMO members have repeatedly been abducted or simply disappeared without trace. Eventually, the remaining supporters chose to go underground and have not come out." Frightened residents gave very little information to the journalists. Many of them appeared suspicious of reporters.

Human Rights Watch calls for clarification

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Mozambican authorities to thoroughly investigate the case and not to play down the issue. "We know that the authorities wanted to visit the site of the incident, but according to our information, to date no one has. That's disturbing," said Zenaida Machado of HRW. She fears that the investigation is taking too long to start.

Besides the Gorongosa region in Sofala Province, there is ongoing conflict in the adjacent western provinces of Manica and Tete. More than 10,000 people have already fled Tete to neighboring Malawi, according to the United Nations. Those who escaped speak of torture, rape and extrajudicial executions by security forces. Allegations the government of Mozambique strongly denies.

DW

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Elangwe Pauline

04.May.2016

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Three international aid workers have been kidnapped in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Armed men kidnapped the Congolese nationals who had been sent to work in Rutshuru in the north east of the country. Speaking to AFP the ICRC spokesperson Elisabeth Cloutier said they had no news from the three workers neither has the armed men been identified. 

The Director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (Red Cross Int.), stated via Twitter last night, that everything that could possibly be done to bring three abducted workers in the Congo (DRC) “safely back home,” is being done.  According to Bloomberg News, it is suspected that an armed militant group who operate out of the Eastern Congo and are of Rwandan origin may be responsible for the abductions.

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Elangwe Pauline

04.May.2016

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Burundi's former President, Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, has died in hospital in the Belgian Capital, Brussels after a protracted illness. Burundi’s President Nkurunziza tweeted.

Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza (born 29 August 1946) was a Burundian politician who was Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council in Burundi until November 10, 1976, and President from November 10, 1976 to September 3, 1987. While travelling abroad, Bagaza was deposed in a military coup d'état.

He was replaced as president by Pierre Buyoya, and went into exile in Uganda and later went to Libya, where he lived until 1993. Since 1994, he has led the Party for National Recovery (PARENA). He died as a Senator for life as a former head of state.

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Jackson Tantoh

04.May.2016

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It took well over two hours for Cameroonian and Nigerian leaders, President Paul Biya and Muhammadu Buhari respectively to go through the items programmed for the State banquet organised in the Nigerian capital, Abuja yesterday evening. Accompanied by their wives, Mrs Chantal Biya and Mrs Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, the evening’s ceremony which took place in the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, witnessed a medley of activities epitomised by the speeches of the two Presidents. It was equally spiced by five different dance groups, one of which came all the way from Cameroon.

As one would have expected, the two Presidents used this occasion to once more announce their determination to eradicate the Boko Haram insurgency while expressing their deep felt sympathy to the families that have fallen victim to Boko Haram attacks. They equally renewed their commitment to identify the diverse areas through which they can hinge cooperation between the two nations and enhance economic development. This will among others take the form of regular economic forums organised in both countries.

Cameroon Tribune

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04.May.2016

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Amnesty International has given its top 2016 human rights award to Grammy Award-winning musician Angélique Kidjo and to three African youth activist movements for their work standing up to injustice, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Benin-born Kidjo and groups Y’en a marre from Senegal, le Balai Citoyen from Burkina Faso and Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA) from the Democratic Republic of Congo have shown "exceptional courage," Amnesty said.

"(They) have all proved themselves to be bold advocates for human rights, using their talents to inspire others," Salil Shetty, Amnesty’s secretary general, said in a statement

Previous winners of the Ambassador of Conscience Award include the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, Myanmar politician Aung San Suu Kyi, the rock band U2, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and American singer-songwriter Joan Baez.

Kidjo fled her homeland in the 1980s after being pressured to perform for the country’s repressive regime.

In a 30-year career spawning 12 albums, she has been a prominent campaigner for freedom of expression and against female genital mutilation.

Y’en a marre (Fed Up) is a group of Senegalese rappers and journalists who joined forces in 2011 to encourage young people to register to vote in the country's election and exercise their right to freedom of expression.

Y'en a marre has remained active since the election, hosting meetings and urging the new government to implement promised changes such as land reform, a key issue affecting Senegal's rural poor.

Le Balai Citoyen (The Citizen's Broom) is a political grassroots movement committed to peaceful protest. It was founded in 2013 by two musicians, reggae artist Sams’K Le Jah and rapper Smockey (Serge Bambara).

Le Balai Citoyen has voiced concerns about a range of issues from corruption and land grabs to power cuts, and it has mobilized people to claim their rights and fight impunity.

LUCHA is another community-based youth movement committed to peaceful protest. It was created in Goma, eastern DRC, in 2012.

Its activism focuses on social issues, human rights and the protection of civilians from armed groups. LUCHA advocates for social justice and democratic governance through non-partisan and non-violent actions.

Kidjo and her fellow awardees will be honored at a ceremony in Dakar, Senegal, on May 28.

Reuters

 

 

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